On October 30, Emory hosted, in partnership with DeKalb County, a Violence Prevention Symposium at the Miller-Ward Alumni House. More than 100 policymakers, community organization members, and other stakeholders engaged in a full day of presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities focused on protecting communities from the destructive impact of violence. A special thank you to Dr. Jonathan Rupp with the Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE), Emory Healthcare, and the Emory Events team for their partnership.

On October 25, Emory faculty and staff hosted Dr. Devon Horton, the new Superintendent for the DeKalb County School District (DCSD), and several members of his leadership team on campus for a roundtable discussion about our partnerships over the years. Topics included current Emory-DCSD initiatives, as well opportunities not only to expand those engagements but also ways to work collaboratively on current DCSD needs shared by Superintendent Horton.

Emory is once again hosting a DeKalb County voting location in the 1599 building. Advance (early) voting began October 16 and continues through November 3. The 1599 building will also serve as an Election Day voting precinct for those registered voters assigned to this location. 

The OGCA team is thrilled to announce that, on November 1, Penelope Moceri, joined Emory as the Associate Director of Local Government Affairs. Reporting to Alex Wan, the Assistant Vice President of Community Affairs, Penny will coordinate and administer a government relations outreach program at the local government level for city and county municipalities in which Emory, including Emory Healthcare, has a presence.

On November 29, the General Assembly will return to the Gold Dome for a special session. US District Judge Steve Jones ruled in a 516-page order that the Georgia district line map must be redrawn to better represent Black voters at the state and federal levels. Judge Jones issued a deadline of December 8. During special session, unlike in regular session, legislators can only consider legislation that is for the specific purposes outlined by the Governor. To view Governor Kemp’s proclamation announcing the special session and the specified types of legislation that can be passed, click here. The outcome of the new maps has the power to shift the balance of power between the two parties. The State Affairs team will be at the Capitol during the special session monitoring legislative activity and engaging with the lawmakers. 

Maternal Health Briefing 

On December 4, Emory will host, alongside our academic partners involved in the Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Working Group, a briefing on maternal health for state legislators and their staff at the Capitol. The event will include an overview of the results from the Research!America poll and will be a great opportunity to connect with legislators on the maternal health challenges facing our state. 

Senate and House Certificate of Need Study Committee Meetings 

Both the House and Senate Certificate of Need (CON) Study Committees have now hosted three meetings exploring the barriers and benefits of CON. We anticipate that the Study Committees will soon release their final report but are unsure at this time if either will meet again. The State Affairs team will review the recommendations and work with legislators during the 2024 legislative session to advance Emory’s perspective during the amendment process.

FY2024 

Much work remains if the House is to complete consideration of each of its FY2024 funding bills. With a Speaker finally elected, the House has adjusted its schedule – and cancelled a previously planned two-week recess - to make up time for the three weeks they lost to that election.  

Six of 12 appropriations bills have passed the House; and four others are expected to be considered on the floor in the next week. The Labor-HHS and Commerce-Justice-State bills are the most difficult to move due to the multiple policy challenges contained within them, and it is unclear what the path forward will be on either bill. The Labor-HHS bill funds the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Commerce-Justice-State bill includes funding for the National Science Foundation and the CHIPS and Science Act. These two bills are of particular interest to Emory. The OGCA team will continue to educate our federal policy makers about the importance of robust funding for these bills. 

If work is not completed on the funding bills by November 17, Congress will need to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government operating at full capacity. House Speaker Mike Johnson told Senate Republicans yesterday that his goal is to fund the government through Jan. 15. He also “talked about a 1 percent reduction” in any spending bill.

AHA Engagement 

Emory continues to be a leader at the national policy level. Thanks to the following Emory Healthcare leaders for agreeing to serve in leadership positions for the American Hospital Association (AHA) in 2024. 

Heather Dexter, AHA’s Regional Advisory Board 

Dr. Joon Lee, AHA’s Health Care Systems Committee 

Dr. Ravi Thadhani, AHA’s Strategic Leadership Group 

Federal Research Grant Opportunities  
Emory researchers can apply for federally funded grants. Last year, Emory received over $1 billion in federal research funding. Grant opportunities are available in both biomedical research and nursing. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Assistant Vice President of Federal Affairs at Emory, Jessica Davis at Jessica.Ann.Davis@emory.edu. 

Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Visits Emory 

On October 25, the Region IV Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Mrs. Nikki Bratcher-Bowman, visited Emory University Hospital. The visit was focused on Emory’s accomplishments since the designation as a Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center. In 2021, ASPR selected Emory to lead a consortium to demonstrate how a Regional Disaster Health Response System can improve medical surge and clinical specialty capabilities.

The OGCA team organizes and executes government leader visits to campus. September’s visit by Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the U.S., was an all-hands-on-deck situation for our nine team members. Jessica Davis and Carly Keller spent the week interacting with the White House Advance Team and Secret Service; Abby Meadors Smith operated the elevator that transported the First Lady; and other team members checked in guests, guided VIPs, and answered questions. A special thanks to Philip Santangelo, and all the members of his lab, and Luke Anderson, and the Communications and Marketing Team, for the partnership.